COLUMBUS, Miss. – First impressions are lasting impressions, especially in the worlds of business and social media.

On Tuesday, Feb. 16, Mississippi University for Women’s Student Success Center will host an informative seminar titled “Me & My LinkedIn” on the third floor of Cochran Hall. LinkedIn is a professional networking site that links users with businesses and companies in their prospective field of interest.

The seminar will help students understand why they should create a LinkedIn profile and will provide them with ideas for the type of information that should be included in their profile. Also, a professional photographer will be on hand to take a profile picture. This will be an invaluable service for the students because the profile picture is a very important part of impression management.

Towanda Williams, career specialist, said, “LinkedIn is another resource that’s free and gives you an opportunity to connect with businesses and organizations. Potential employers search to see if there are candidates who match the qualifications for a particular job opening.”

Tuesday’s seminar will have two components. Chris Jenkins, university photographer, will be taking free professional portraits of attendees in room 307 in Cochran Hall at 3 p.m. Participants can then upload the headshot to their LinkedIn accounts. At 4 p.m., students will go into room 303 for the seminar component, where Dr. Dee Larson, professor of marketing and management, will present ways that students can improve their accounts.

Larson said the program is a great opportunity for students. “Often college students do not understand the importance of LinkedIn. Many feel it is something you do once you have landed a job. They don’t realize how the website can help them land a job in the first place,” she explained.

She added, in today’s world individuals have an online presence via the various social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. “Most employers (around 85 percent) say that a positive online `reputation’ influences their hiring decision. Therefore, it is important for students to create a positive online presence and LinkedIn is perfect for that.”

Lastly, Larson said, “The vast majority of jobs are found through networking and that is the main purpose of LinkedIn.”